Crimson Stained Glass
by S.S. Records
Summary: *Temporal Hiatus* "Have I ever been a part of the crimson world reflected only in your crimson lens?" The answer had been clear from the start and yet I averted my eyes. I never wanted to know the answer. Akashi/OC
1. Overture I: Fracture

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke and any of the characters in that series. Fujimaki-sensei owns them. (If I did, all the guys would go shirtless :)

* * *

_"Somewhere in those non-hectic days,_

_where nothing ever happened_

_and the days all drifted away,_

_Something might have already gone wrong."_

* * *

Akashi did not cry. Nor did he scream. He merely stared at the "death" before him impassively, his scarlet gaze never leaving the body that lay beyond the sea of white and yellow chrysanthemums. In fact, his face was an impeccable mask of emotionless calm.

_He was far too tense and more importantly, uncannily composed._

After spending countless days, even years by his side, Mikoto was familiar with Akashi's body mannerisms. And now, she was confident that she could point out at least ten glaring peculiarities with a single glance. His jaw was clenched too tightly, his posture, too calm and rigid. He was folding his arms too...

Akashi Seijuurou_ never _folded his arms_._

It was an act frowned upon by his father. It was an act of vulnerability, _weakness_. The Akashi family would not tolerate nor would they hesitate. They lived by a single code: "Those who did not stand at the top were unworthy of the Akashi name." It went without saying that those who stood at the top knew no weakness.

However, at that moment, Mikoto had completely overlooked the fact that Akashi had his elbows clutched in such a tight grip that his knuckles had turned a pasty white. She blinked. It was still there. She had not imagined it and it was not a trick of light either.

Not only had Akashi wound his arms tightly around his torso, he was_ visibly shaking_. Although it was so slight that it would have gone unnoticed by the others, she could tell - his whole frame wracked with silent trembles. Mikoto could feel her eyes widen.

Her azure irises scanned his small frame. He stood a few feet away from the casket, basked in the dim lighting of the make-shift tent, his alarmingly pale skin glowing. For once, the Akashi heir had looked fragile, _breakable_. Mikoto inhaled sharply, silently praying that it would be the last time she saw it.

She wordlessly crossed the distance that separated her from her best friend. There was an eerie silence that hung around the boy, making him look terribly out of place amongst the other mourners.

Upon arriving at the pale boy's side, she slowly reached for his unoccupied right hand, loosely clasping it between both her hands. He made no attempt to shake off her hands. She played with his pale, slightly rotund fingers as she bit her lip hesitantly, unwilling to look up. When she finally did pluck up her courage, chancing a peek at the boy's face, she instantly regretted it.

The shadows formed by the boy's long scarlet bangs that hung like curtains around his forehead, had made him look considerably older, _tired_. His attire, a black suit and a matching pair of black shoes were not helpful in the least.

However what was most startling were in fact, his scarlet eyes. The darkened scarlet eyes that bore down on Mikoto were foreign, unfamiliar. She did not recognise those intense eyes. Those eyes were swirling in a raging whirlpool of condensed raw emotion – disbelief, anger, bitterness, hatred, sorrow. The rolling red waves crashed over the red, rapidly pouring out of his red eyes.

Mikoto's gut twisted. He looked nothing like the seven year old he was supposed to be.

* * *

"_I wonder... What face did I make at that point of time?"_

* * *

Mikoto blinked, breaking contact with Akashi's intense stare. When she did open her eyes again, the sight that greeted her made her wish that she had kept her eyes shut instead.

Those molten scarlet pools had cooled into simmers; the surging, chaotic storm had quieted, giving way to a boundless sea of melancholy. His pale lips were slightly upturned into a wry smile, the stony quality of his pale face permeated with sorrow and longing.

Yet even then, he would not cry.

* * *

Bells drew the ceremony to a close. It was time to pay their final respects to the deceased. The family of the bereaved had begun to slowly trudge towards the chrysanthemum shower.

Mikoto willed a fresh set of tears away from her glassy blue eyes, suppressing the choked sob that threatened to spill out of her hoarse throat. The pale boy mutely handed Mikoto one of the many crimson camellias in the bouquet cradled firmly between his chest and his left arm.

Gripping her hand gently yet firmly, he curled her chubby fingers around the stalk of the crimson blossom. His cold hands lingered over her fingers for a moment after, before drawing it back to his side. He arched his head ever so slightly, silently signaling for her to follow him as he calmly paced towards the open coffin.

* * *

Taking one last brief look at the figure lying in the wooden treasure chest, Mikoto stole a glance at boy who stood next to her.

All traces of pretence had disappeared from the boy's face. The strong front he had built was crumbling. His posture sagged and his jaw went slack at the sight of _her_ face. Even the confident strut he usually wore had morphed into shaky, unsteady steps as he hesitantly, almost fearfully made his way towards the edge of the coffin.

Clutching her crimson lifeline tightly and biting down harshly on her lip, Mikoto quickly moved towards the open casket.

* * *

_"She looked like she was sleeping - almost as if she would wake up at any moment."_

* * *

Mikoto was hesitant. She _had_ seen dead people before but they were all from the television. She had never witnessed one so... closely. Moreover, she knew this woman. No, the bond she shared with this woman was much deeper than that of an acquaintance.

She loved this woman. This sleeping woman was practically her second mother.

* * *

To say that she was shocked was an understatement. Mikoto was utterly speechless. There was no blood. There were no ugly scars, no hideous burns, no dismembered limbs and absolutely nothing to mar the woman's beauty. Dressed in a floral sundress, she looked perfectly fine, save for her rather sickly pallor.

_"Yes, that had to be it! Yuuka-san was only slightly anemic, she couldn't actually be dead. She was probably trying to scare Sei-kun and me! It's probably all one big prank." _

With that thought in mind, Mikoto turned to Akashi planning to tell him about her new discovery. Yet when she was faced with his grim expression, she was at a loss for words.

She was being ridiculous.

"_No_," she thought bitterly, swaying her head from side to side violently, vision blurred,_ "I was being an insensitive, naive fool - the worst kind of friend."_

* * *

_"It was then that I realised that he knew that she wasn't going to wake up."_

* * *

Mikoto could feel tears welling up in her soft blue eyes, rolling down her flushed apple-red cheeks, further blurring her already limited vision of the raven-haired woman. She gulped and took a deep, shuddering breath, trying her best to remain unnoticed. She had to stop this shameful weeping... She would not make it even more unbearable for _him_.

* * *

_She was too young...far too young. We were far too young._

* * *

Akashi Yuuka was a woman blessed with intellect, beauty and natural grace and in return, God had taken away her gift of "time".

And now, as she laid in her wooden cot, what had remained of her sharp wit, her eternal sunshine, her elegant movements, her soft, melodious voice, her soothing, warm embrace?

**Gone** - robbed by blackened death... yet even death was unable to steal her beauty.

She looked like a celestial maiden who had descended from the heavens. Thick, silky, black locks adorned with a flower wreath weaved from an assortment of bright flowers that juxtaposed her deathly pallor, only added to her unearthly charm. _Beautiful._

* * *

Akashi placed the bouquet of flowers on the woman's chest, gingerly lacing her cold fingers together, placing her intertwined hands atop the bouquet. Mikoto tucked the stalk of the crimson camellia behind the woman's right ear and stepped back, granting him the privacy he needed.

* * *

The pale boy was now peering over the edge of her wooden casket. His eyes refused to look away, committing every single detail of this woman to his memory. From the mole on her neck to the beauty mark underneath her left eye - he vowed to never forget them, not today, not tomorrow and certainly not for the days to come.

He bent over her, and guiding his pale hands to her sickly white face, he traced the contours of her face carefully, placing tender, feather-like caresses on them. Her smooth, diamond skin felt like sharp icicles to the boy, prickling and painful.

His hands travelled north, tucking a loose ebony strand behind her ear. His fingers threaded themselves in her jet-black hair, fingertips softly grazing over the crown of flowers.

He burned the last visage of the serene smile that tugged at her faded pink lips into his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, imagining her shining emerald eyes, the wide smile on her cherry-red lips and her sweet voice calling his name lovingly.

_"Seijuurou."_

His eyes shot open, sending her one last longing look, before he uttered the three most important sentences to the most important person of his world.

* * *

_"His voice wavered as he said those words but... he did not cry." _

* * *

_"Thank you for everything you have done." _

A pause.

A deep breath.

Oxygen in, oxygen out.

_"I__ bid you a safe passage_... please take better care of yourself this time."

A choked splutter.

_"I love you... Farewell, mother."_

* * *

He was ready to let go.

* * *

.

.

.

.

TBC.

* * *

A/N:

Yo peeps! Hoped you enjoyed the first chapter :) It was kinda difficult to write (ACK!) I think I kinda screwed up Akashi's personality T.T

I apologise for the OOC-ness.. I'll work on it orz.. :(

Well the start is rather dark and angsty... My OC (Mikoto) is here to facilitate and guide the readers... but I may add in some romance? (though I suck at it DX)

Please critique and drop a review, will ya? :D TYVM~


	2. Overture II: Crush

Disclaimer: I do not own KNB.

* * *

_This is not the best solution_

_and I know you know it too._

_At the end of it,_

_you will have __**no one**__ by your side._

* * *

_"He did not cry but he had mourned properly."_

* * *

The funeral was a short procession, lasting only a mere few hours and was completed within a day. After the cremation, people had begun to file out of the ceremonial grounds but not without conveying their sincerest condolences and deepest apologies to the unfortunate boy.

* * *

_"Oh you poor child, losing your mother at such a young age, it must have been so hard on you."_

_"Yes, it must have been such a devastating ordeal. Your mother was so beautiful, it was truly such a shame."_

_"Do you suppose Akashi-san will remarry? He is still of marriageable age and Seijuurou-kun needs another mother to take care of him. I should introduce my niece to him. He's such a great catch!"_

_"Did you see that boy? He had not shed a single tear throughout the whole ceremony! How heartless."_

* * *

Amongst the harsh, hushed whispers of vulgar gossips, pitying gazes, shallow remarks and a boundless sense of sorrow and isolation, Akashi had braved and overcome the dreary funeral, by _himself_.

* * *

_"No one can truly understand another's pain."_

* * *

No, not quite.

Mikoto was there, _physically_. Although she was more of a nuisance than a help - a hiccuping, blubbering, teary-eyed nuisance. Nevertheless, her presence was still an immense source of comfort.

Not that Akashi would ever admit that out loud.

* * *

_"I think the heavens and I had cried enough, for him, for her, for all of us."_

* * *

It had begun to pour around the same time the ceremony had started. As they emerged from the ceremonial grounds, the heavy downpour had been reduced to a light drizzle. Within moments, the rain had completely stopped.

The sky had cleared and the Sun had begun to peek out from beneath its cover of clouds.

* * *

_"The end marks the start of a new beginning."_

* * *

It was all so horribly clichéd that Akashi could have laughed. Just then, as though the heavens had purposefully decided to mock him, a brilliant rainbow had formed overhead, shimmering in the Sun's rays.

He let out a bitter laugh.

_How... sickening._

* * *

It had already been half an hour since the end of the ceremony and yet, the pale boy's father was nowhere in sight. Not only was his current whereabouts unknown, he had not sent for anyone to fetch his son and his mobile phone was also unreachable.

He had essentially left his son, alone, in front of a crematorium after his mother's death.

Seeing as the boy's father was probably going to be held up for quite some time, Mikoto's father had invited Akashi to join them for dinner. He could not bear the thought of leaving the young boy alone after all that he had been through.

Without even blinking once, the boy mutely nodded.

The journey back to Mikoto's home was not the tense, silent one Mikoto had expected. In fact, contrary to her expectations, it was loud and lively. The children had taken to playing "I Spy" to entertain themselves throughout the duration of the long drive back, upon the suggestion of Mikoto's father.

It worked like a charm, the children were thoroughly amused, more so for a certain redhead.

* * *

_"I spy with my little eye something that starts with the letter... W!"_

_Taking a few seconds to ponder, Akashi promptly said, "Window."_

_"Ehhh! How did you guess that, Sei-kun? And I thought I was finally going to win too..." The ebony-haired girl whined._

_The boy's lips curled up, forming an odd cross between a smirk and a grin. __Impishly, he replied, "You'll have to do much better than that, Mikoto."_

* * *

Akashi was thankful for the many rounds of "I Spy". They served as excellent distractions and steered his mind away from negative thoughts that plagued him.

Winning every single round was an added bonus. It really was too bad that Mikoto was so predictable.

* * *

_"I didn't know what to say to him so I simply smiled."_

* * *

When they reached their destination, Mikoto promptly latched herself onto Akashi's right arm and proceeded to drag the startled redhead up the steps of her spiral staircase and down the winding corridor, then taking two left turns, they had reached their final destination - her toy room.

The toy-room was a rather small room as compared to the size of the other rooms. The walls were painted in white and decorated in blue, pink, green, red and yellow polka dots. The carpeted floor was littered with an array of soft toys of varying sizes and shapes.

As Akashi slowly surveyed the room with a poorly concealed grimace on his face, Mikoto was rummaging through the a large wooden box. Letting out a triumph "Aha! Found it!" she hurriedly pulled out various choice items.

Turning to the redhead, whose face was torn between horror and disgust, Mikoto held up a shiny gold accessory and declared, "Sei-kun, let's play pretend!"

* * *

_"He didn't want to dwell on the matter - I could tell that."_

* * *

After a grueling session of Pretend, or as Mikoto had dubbed it, "The Wondrous Tea Party in Wonderland", the Akashi Seijuurou was ready to admit defeat.

Not only had Mikoto somehow managed to force (guilt-trip) him to put on the shiny gold tiara, the girl had even made him sit and act like the Red Queen! He even had to hold his pinky finger out as he took small, dainty sips from his tea cup! Why had he went along with this girl's every whim?

It was absolutely ridiculous!

Just as he was voice his protest, he was interrupted by the door opening.

"Akashi-sama, Yanase-sama, dinner has been served, please briskly make your way to the dining room."

"Haiii, we'll be there soon, Naomi-san!" Mikoto enthusiastically yelled back, waving her large purple hat from left to right.

Akashi simply bobbed his head in reply, silently thanking the woman for keeping a straight face.

_"Well she should be rather accustomed to Mikoto's antics..."_ He thoughtfully mused.

* * *

Dinner was a noticeably more quiet affair, with the three figures seated across one another, silently polishing the food off their plates. The atmosphere was in no way tense, in fact, the silence was comfortable. Akashi gladly welcomed the change, he needed the time to sort out his thoughts.

"Was the food to your liking, Seijuurou-kun?"

"Yes, it was very delicious, thank you for your hospitality." Akashi politely replied.

* * *

Mikoto had snuck a few glances at Akashi from time to time and was awed at how dignified the Akashi heir looked while eating.

_"I was right, Sei-kun does look like a princess!"_ Mikoto thought, silently grinning to herself.

* * *

_"Yet the temporary haven was shattered so easily..."_

* * *

"Eichi, I apologise for the inconvenience and the trouble caused." A booming deep voice said.

"Oh no, Seijuurou was a joy to have around. I should be the one to apologise for Mikoto's-"

"Father. You were absent for today's... ceremony." The man who was addressed, turned to face his son, sharp maroon eyes flashing with disapproval.

* * *

A sigh escaped the man's lips as the man looked down at his son, maroon clashing with stony scarlet.

"I was busy." A short, curt reply.

The man had made no effort to mask his obvious displeasure at the topic Akashi had brought up.

"You were** busy**...?" The undercurrent of fury that lay beneath the boy's words and the tone of disbelief the boy held was not lost on this man.

_However, this man could not and did not care._

The man frowned, his eyebrows wrinkling in an angry crease. He had neither the time nor the patience to be discussing such petty, frivolous matters with the boy.

"Yes, there had been a meeting with several business partners in order to secure the Akashi Group's influence overseas." He replied in a clipped tone.

The boy who had worn a stoic expression since the start of the conversation had suddenly laughed.

A humourless chuckle.

* * *

_"She did not matter to him. She __**never**__ mattered to him."_

* * *

"I see... is mother not even worth a day to _**you**_?" The boy sneered.

Without waiting for the man's reply, which, judging by the growing rage reflected in his maroon orbs, was probably going to be an exceedingly unpleasant one, the boy continued to hurl irate words at the man.

"Isn't it _ironic_? Even in an arranged marriage, mother could still find love. Though, it was merely a fleeting illusion." Akashi spat out those words as though they were filthy. The aftertaste on his tongue was bitter and downright revolting.

His sharp crimson eyes were molten ire, liquid fire.

He had decided against rational thought and all sense of self-preservation that he had - He would let **everything** out.

* * *

_"Mother, where is father...?" The sleepy child suppressed a yawn, eyelids starting to inch downwards._

_Hastily wiping the unshed tears from the corner of her eyes, the woman gathered the sleepy child into a tight embrace._

_"He's out there working hard for us, Sei-chan. Your father is doing this for our sake."_

_"Mother..?"_

_"Your father... He... loves us."_

* * *

"Even so, she was happy. She waited... she waited for _**you**__!_"

At this point of time, the boy's voice had risen several volumes higher.

Akashi Seijuurou was _shouting_.

After hollering the last word out, the fire had burnt itself out. Akashi had quickly regained his composure, shooting the man smoldering looks of contempt.

Mikoto watched the argument unfold with wide, fearful eyes that darted back and forth Akashi and his father. She could tell that this was not the end of it.

* * *

_"I prayed that I was wrong."_

* * *

Three little words. Just three little words had entirely changed the flow of the situation.

"Are you done?" With the man's tone, it had came out to be more of a statement than a question.

Mikoto flinched. She had never heard someone address another person in such a scathingly cold tone.

Instead of waiting for the boy's reply, the man took two large strides and snatched the boy's left wrist in a rough grip and twisted it. Ignoring the boy's muffled cry, the man gazed at the boy without a semblance compassion.

The man's next words made Mikoto's blood run cold.

"That was a grand display indeed. Such an unsightly and unbecoming behaviour for an Akashi heir. It seems that I have to _thoroughly__** discipline**_ you once more." The man, Akashi's father_, _had intoned in a completely apathetic tone in spite of the malice the words held.

_Surely he couldn't have just insinuated that he was going to..._

Mikoto was astoundingly horrified, she was most certain her blood had froze.

_"His father was dead serious."_ was the last coherent thought in her mind before everything spiraled out of control.

* * *

_"Everything after happened so quickly that it was a blur, one big unidentifiable mess."_

* * *

Before her very eyes, Akashi was whisked away by his father and by the time her overheated brain had begun to function again, it was far too late to change anything.

* * *

She saw him the next day.

He had come to apologise.

* * *

If Mikoto had thought she was shocked the day before, she was wrong. Yesterday was _nothing_ compared to the scale of what she was feeling right now.

* * *

_"There was something odd about him, something I couldn't quite place."_

* * *

Who was this person who stood in front of her?

Who was this stranger who had the same, familiar scarlet hair and pale face as Akashi?

She did not recognise this pale boy before her.

* * *

His rich, emotive scarlet eyes had become terrifying dead, they might have even been mistaken for hollow eye sockets for all Mikoto knew.

They were impossibly glacier.

* * *

Mikoto felt as though someone had just stabbed her in the chest, right in her heart.

The revelation had hit her all too suddenly.

* * *

_"I sincerely apologise for the unruly scene and the trouble that I have caused."_

How could his words be so devoid of emotion?

* * *

The knife had been plunged deeper, deeper still into her small chest. Its sharp, serrated jaws tearing through flesh, ripping through her very core. A large crimson blossom bloomed at the front of her white dress.

Could her heart hurt even more?

* * *

_"You have my guarantee that such a shameful act will not happen again."_

How could his voice be so detached?

* * *

Her assailant viciously twisted the deeply embed knife as if to mock her. Its sneering voice sarcastically reminding her that, "Yes, it could."

The sight before her blue eyes was stained with a glorious crimson.

It hurt so much.

* * *

_"Why does it hurt?"_

* * *

"_I hope that you may find it within you to forgive and forget my immature behaviour."_

Nothing was reflected in those crimson eyes.

* * *

_"He was Akashi, yet he was not."_

* * *

Akashi blinked.

_Mikoto was crying._

He pursued his lips in puzzlement, his face not betraying how perplexed he felt. His silent question went unanswered, ignored in favour of full-on bawling.

Akashi sighed.

* * *

_"She had always been a crybaby."_

* * *

Mikoto had covered her face with both her hands and was sobbing bitterly.

She was inconsolable.

Her puffy, swollen eyes were comparable to broken taps, water kept gushing out of her eyes.

She knew that she looked silly.

She knew that she should have stopped... but she just could not stop her tears.

She was too overwhelmed by those malevolent, slithering emotions.

* * *

_"He had lost something so precious; something he could __**never**__ have once more..."_

* * *

Mikoto felt a slight pressure on the top of her head. The pale hand that rested on top of head begun to move back and forth in slow, soothing motions.

It was comforting.

Her wailing gradually quieted into soft sniffles.

* * *

_"I didn't know how long I had cried. I only know that the hand had not once left my head."_

* * *

Giving her newly misshaped eyes one final rub, she inhaled deeply. She would not cry again_. _Exhaling loudly through her nose, she slapped both her cheeks harshly. She was lucid now.

The pale boy had retracted his hand the moment he saw her shift her hands away from her face. He knew that resolute look in her eyes- she was going to say something incredibly insightful.

_"Or dumb." _He added dryly.

* * *

_"I decided then that I would be strong for him, for this pale, broken boy."_

* * *

Closing the distance between them, Mikoto hugged him. Her tiny arms wound around the boy in a desperate embrace.

"Sei-kun, I'll stay by your side forever. I promise." She quietly whispered. _Always._

Akashi did not know how to react to the sudden embrace, he flinched and tensed.

He did not believe in forever, nothing would ever remain the same.

Change was the only constant.

Yet for once, he _wanted_ to believe in it.

He didn't care if it was a lie.

The boy relaxed in her warm embrace, his arms slowly enveloping her tiny frame.

* * *

_"Thank you."_

* * *

.

.

.

.

TBC.

* * *

A/N:

Another chapter is over! With this, the prologue has ended! :D

Well... I hope I didn't disappoint!

I think there are some parts that are rather confusing so if you have any queries, feel free to PM me!

Did you enjoy the chapter?

Was it good, was it bad? Press the magical button below to let me know! :)


	3. Bridge

Disclaimer: I do not own KnB.

* * *

_It is ironic how_

_the end marked the_

_beginning of the prologue._

_Or maybe, it wasn't so ironic after all?_

* * *

_"Nothing was how it used to be, how it was __**supposed**__ to be."_

* * *

It happened in the midst of a beautiful spring when I had just turned 8, after it had seemed that the worst storm had blown over and that our peaceful days would return once more.

I could not have been more wrong.

Everything had not ended, it was just the beginning.

* * *

_The time for fairytales had come to an end._

* * *

_"Dad, where is Sei-kun?"_

_"Seijuurou-kun has been busy with... other matters."_

_"He isn't coming, is he...?"_

_"Please understand, Mikoto-chan."_

_"...I do understand."_

_The petite girl hung her head low, twin pigtails framing her pale face, eyes shadowed behind her long bangs, a heartbreaking whisper escaping her small, quivering lips._

_"It's just that... Sei-kun has never missed Mikoto's birthday..."_

* * *

_"He was always by my side. I took that for granted."_

* * *

We saw less and less of each other.

We each had our own responsibilities; our own duties to attend to.

* * *

_"I thought I understood but in actual fact, I didn't."_

* * *

I was one of the many unpolished gems, who needed to be polished, prepared and eventually, purchased and paraded around with.

Both the act of preparation and polishing took time.

Yet, perfection needed so much **more**.

Perfection demanded preparation, time and effort.

I would have that firmly etched into my mind and my body.

* * *

_"Yanase-sama put more emotion into it!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Once more, Yanase-sama."_

_"Yes, sensei."_

_"Do it over, such a standard leaves __**much**__ to be desired!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"Ladies of the Yanase household are the embodiments of grace, beauty and intellect! Walk as if you are dancing and speak as if you are reciting poetry!"_

_"Never bring disgrace upon your family name!"_

* * *

There were the occasional times where they would pass each other by in the corridors, where a simple nod, wave or smile were exchanged but, these transient encounters were too few and far between.

The even more sporadic and infrequent moments they had to spend together was dearly cherished.

However ironic as it may seem, that time would usually be spent on a jabberwocky's array of things - nonsensical talk or play that would keep both children fully immersed in their own paracosm, away from expectations, away from family matters, away from everything else.

Though, there were _those_ times, where Mikoto somehow, just knew that she should not talk.

In those rare times, they would do nothing at all, simply content to sit or read in silence, soaking in tranquillity while enjoying the other's company.

...Yet even that could not stop the distance between them from growing, far, further and further apart still.

* * *

_"The days before had seemed too surreal to be true."_

* * *

Even at such a young age, Mikoto knew.

She understood that some people lived in different worlds.

* * *

He was the golden heir of the Akashi Empire.

Gold was flawless.

It was the symbol of royalty, of power, of unparalleled strength.

It was the pinnacle of perfection, a path that only a select few were chosen to walk upon, that only the chosen one would reach.

It was in essence, the Akashi name.

Pure gold and petty gems were worlds apart.

* * *

_"We were so close yet so far, but that distance between was impossible to cross... He was so far out of reach."_

* * *

In between those repeating days where the both of them fell into their respective routines, yesterday, today and tomorrow had blended together to form an indistinct haze.

* * *

___"Dash into the distance and don't ever look back."_

* * *

Much time would pass before their paths would once again begin to intersect, interweaving into a complex web of troubles, shattering the dream of peace within that wide yet tiny crimson world.

* * *

_The curtain rise that marked the start of the first act served as the prelude to the end._

* * *

.

.

.

.

TBC.

* * *

A/N:

I felt that separating chapter 3 would be better cos I frigging suck at transitions so... sorry :(


	4. Act I: Begin

Disclaimer: I do not own KNB.

* * *

_The beginning is the end_

_and the end is the beginning._

_Let us begin once more,_

_and to each, their own tale._

* * *

As the last snowflake of winter descended onto the ground, melting into lush greenery, bloomed cherry blossoms silently ushered the arrival of a long-awaited season of hope.

Spring was the season of rebirth - of a new beginning.

For the newly graduated elementary school students, spring was indeed a time for a fresh start.

* * *

_"It was a day of such clear blue skies that it was hard to believe it was spring."_

* * *

The new students seamlessly blended in with their other schoolmates, donning their new middle school uniforms which consisted of a white blazer, a blue shirt with a black tie and pants for boys and a blue shirt with a black ribbon and skirt for girls.

Yet, a single student stood out among the sea of freshmen, with crimson hair and a piercing red gaze, the boy had a certain charm that demanded the eyes and the attention of the other students. The divine aura about the lone boy made him come across as inapproachable but his magnetic charisma drew people's gazes to him, perking their interest.

* * *

The majority of the freshmen of Teikou Middle School were buzzing with excitement, animatedly chatting with their new friends as they walked pass the courtyard in the direction of the hall, underneath the shower of scattering cherry blossoms petals.

Amidst the crowd of freshmen, another student was the centre of attention, but for all the wrong reasons.

Juxtaposed against such a happy backdrop was a sole raven-haired girl who was repeatedly sighing. Dark grey storm clouds of doom and gloom hung over the ravenette, complete with the seemingly unending rain that bore down on the petite girl. The girl was even emitting a dismal aura, causing the other students to avoid walking anywhere near her, keeping a good five-foot radius away from the depressed girl.

* * *

However, all quieted and a hushed silence set upon them the moment the new students stepped into the hall, a palpable tension lingering in the air as they quickly made their way to their seats.

It was the beginning of the School Entrance Ceremony of Teikou Middle School.

The principal, a short, stocky middle-aged man with greying roots had clambered upstage, delivering a sleep-inducing, hour-long speech.

Many students had either chosen to catch up on their beauty sleep or had tuned out the principal's monotonous droning.

On the other hand, Mikoto had let her mind drift off to the event that had transpired many nights before.

* * *

"_Excuse me, Tanaka-san; I would like to speak with my father." _

"_I offer you my utmost apologies, Mikoto-sama but Eichi-sama is currently unavailable at the moment. "_

"_I see, please inform my father of my request to speak with him." _

"_I will do so at once, Mikoto-sama."_

"_I apologise for the trouble, Tanaka-san."_

"_No, do not apologise, My Lady, it is my job to serve you." _

"_Thank you."_

_Mikoto gracefully ascended up the stairs, leisurely strolling back to her quarters._

* * *

_As soon as she closed the door of her room, she made a mad dash to her bed, grabbing her ruby-red, three-foot long stuffed toy. _

"_Ah it's so stifling having to talk so formally, don't you think so, Sei-kun?" _

_Mikoto said as she rocked back and forth with the large stuffed toy in her hands._

"_More importantly, did you hear that Sei-kun? Dad is busy, __**again**__!" _

"_He's always busy nowadays..."_

_Burying her head into the side of the chicken stuffed toy, she murmured, _

"_Dad is the boss of a big company. He will no doubt have a lot of work... I understand that he's working hard for my sake." _

_The girl's voice was no more than a whisper of the wind, water pooling at the rim of her blue eyes. _

"_I really do... It's just that lately, we haven't talked much..." _

_The girl stayed still for a moment, angrily blinking back the damned tears._

_ She would not cry._

_She slowly lifted her head away from the side of her toy. As she pensively mused about the matter, she realised the irony of this entire situation. _

_The girl chuckled softly. _

"_Sei-kun, ah not you, I meant __**that**__ Sei-kun! ...When? I wonder when indeed was the last time I had properly talked to Sei-kun..."_

"_Did you forget? It was when he gave you Seijuurou II." _

_A gentle voice broke Mikoto out of her reverie. _

"_That was about three months ago..." The petite girl grumbled. _

"_Yes, well Seijuurou-kun is-"_

"_**Busy**__. I know Dad." _

_Mikoto muttered bitterly, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like 'so are you' under her breath._

_Eichi cleared his throat uncomfortably before changing the topic. _

"_I heard from Tan-san that you wanted to talk to me?" _

_Mikoto immediately perked up, her mood instantly brightening up. _

"_Yup! Dad, middle school's starting in a few weeks' time right?"_

"_Yes, I thought you-"_

"_Soooo, I wanted to ask if you know which school Sei-kun is gonna attend!" _

"_Mikoto-chan, didn't he already tell you that?" _

_Said girl's bottom lip jutted out, a small pout forming on her lips. _

"_He didn't! Sei-kun was all secretive about it, refusing to let slip a single word about it!" _

_Cold sweat glided down the man's back. Last he heard, it seemed that Akashi-san had wanted to send Seijuurou to a private, all boys' school... _

_Just how exactly was he supposed to break such news to his daughter?_

_Given how close she was to Seijuurou, Mikoto would definitely either break down in tears or throw a fit when informed..._

"_Seijuurou-kun must have realised it too and chose not to say anything." The man silently thought. _

_On a side note, the man realised that because of that, he now had to play the role of the devil's advocate._

"_Why that perceptive brat! Tell her such things yourself! I can't break my little angel's heart!" Eichi thought as he bit on a handkerchief, a waterfall of tears pouring from his eyes. _

"_Do you know anything, Dad?"_

_Mikoto's voice snapped the man back into focus as he quickly, too quickly, gave a reply._

"_NO! I know absolutely nothing concerning the matter!" Eichi nervously replied, praying that Mikoto would not notice._

_Alas, his prayers went unanswered. _

_Mikoto narrowed her blue eyes in suspicion. Upon seeing that, Eichi immediately broke eye contact with her, eyes darting towards the door. Mikoto seemed to catch on to the man's gnawing anxiety. _

_By reading his body posture, Mikoto realised that he was getting ready to flee. She leaped out of bed, sealing the man's only means of escape by barricading the door with her tiny frame._

_"Dad, do you know that you really suck at lying?" _

_"Well yes... your mother mentioned it once before..." _

_The man sheepishly replied while scratching his head. _

_Mikoto fixed her father a pointed look, silently urging him with her eyes to stay on the topic and to spill the beans._

_"But Mikoto-chan, I don't think you would want to hear this..."_

_Mikoto willed a fresh set of tears to form, giving her father the best teary eyes she could fake, even adding in a few fake sniffles just to be sure._

_"Dad, why won't you tell me? I just want to know, you meanie!"_

_Eichi bit his lip, torn between whether to tell or not to tell. _

_Seeing that her father was still unwilling to tell, Mikoto whipped out the deadliest weapon in her arsenal - teary puppy eyes._

_The attack was super effective for her father had promptly caved in and told her about Akashi-san's plans._

* * *

_Contrary to his expectations, Mikoto took in everything her father said with an unsettling amount of composure, her face completely blank._

_After her father had finished, she flashed him a brief smile._

_"Thank you for informing me, father. Please excuse me, I wish to retire for the night."_

_"...Have a good night, Mikoto-chan." _

_Her father hesitantly said as he closed the door of her room, leaving the girl all alone._

_In that pin-drop silent room, Mikoto sat on her bed dazedly. _

_She__ had neither shed a single tear nor said another word, for the rest of the night._

_Tightly__ wrapping her arms around "Sei-kun" and squeezing her restless eyes shut, Mikoto dreamt._

* * *

"And that concludes the student council's speech. Next up, we will have a speech by the first-year representative, Akashi Seijuurou!"

Hearing the last two words made Mikoto snap out of her daydream, frantically glancing around for a familiar whiff of crimson.

* * *

Akashi calmly walked on stage, a quiet confidence about him as he took the microphone in his hand. A slight smile appearing on his lips as he noticed an oblivious ravenette whipping her head back and forth in a frenzied manner.

"A very good morning to the principal, teachers, seniors and my fellow freshmen present for the entrance ceremony. I am Akashi Seijuurou, the first-year student representative."

Mikoto's head immediately shot up in the direction of his voice, staring up at those familiar pools of fire. An ear-splitting grin graced her face for the first time in days.

Giving her a nod of acknowledgement, Akashi continued his speech.

"I believe that all of us freshmen are brimming with excitement as we embark on a new campus life, in a new school surrounded by new people all around us. However, let us not be too overwhelmed by novelty and forget about our first and foremost duty as students.

As new students, we should do our very best in our pursuit of excellence, in order to make Teikou Middle School an even more elite learning institution.

On the behalf of all the freshmen, I pledge to uphold the school's motto of being ever victorious and that we will always, strive for the top, be it in academics or in sports. That is all."

A stunned silence washed over hall upon the end of the first-year student representative's short yet impactful speech.

Slowly, one or two claps began to echo throughout the hall. Soon, a thunderous applause bounced off the walls of the hall, signalling the end of the school entrance ceremony.

* * *

Most of the students had smiles painted on their faces, as they happily conversed with the other freshmen seated beside or behind them, cliques and alliances being quickly formed. A certain ravenette who was fidgeting restlessly in her seat was the only exception.

The students were dismissed after a few more teachers were introduced.

Anticipation and hope, these were the feelings the newly initiated freshmen of Teikou Middle School carried with them as they eagerly filed out of the hall, each and every one of them heading to their designated classrooms to begin homeroom.

Yet for Mikoto, the aura of doom and gloom that clung to her earlier seemed to have returned with a burning vengeance.

* * *

Stopping before the sliding door that led to the classroom of 1-A, Mikoto ran her hands thorough her black tresses wildly.

"Ah, what if we're in different classes?! Baka-Sei!"

A cough from behind her jolted Mikoto out of her thoughts and she hurriedly stepped aside, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

* * *

_They say that if you speak of the devil, the devil shall appear._

* * *

As she looked up to apologise to the person, she was met with a head of fiery red hair. Mikoto could have sworn that her left eye had developed a cramp and was twitching uncontrollably.

Amusement danced within his crimson lens, a slight smirk adorning his boyish features as he slid the door open in one swift movement.

"You're welcome."

* * *

_"His tone was so infuriately smug! ...but I was relieved."_

* * *

The redhead was promptly tackled into a bear hug by Mikoto, the girl currently mumbling incoherent words into his back.

The boy's scarlet irises widened for a fraction of a second before he sighed, well aware that the whole class of 1-A was openly gawking at them, unlike a certain oblivious ravenette.

Akashi's eyes softened and he slowly turned his body around, forcing Mikoto to let go of his blazer. He allowed a slight smile to creep upon his face as he gently laid his hand on top of Mikoto's head, slightly ruffling her hair.

After he retracted his pale hand, Mikoto shot him a peeved look, patting her long ebony locks to prevent them from sticking out.

Upon witnessing this shoujo-manga like scene, the entire class of 1-A burst out into a chorus of loud cheers, wolf-whistles and giggles.

Akashi, already expecting such a development, merely regarded the situation with detached calmness. On the other hand, Mikoto's face burned with embarrassment, a dark red blush creeping all the way up her ears.

A rather loud and unceremonious cough directed the attention of class 1-A to the front of the classroom, where a bespectacled young man stood.

* * *

The bespectacled young man introduced himself to be Tachibana Makoto, the homeroom and mathematics teacher of class 1-A.

The much dreaded self-introductions were next but "Mako-sensei" as coined by the students of 1-A, was surprisingly open-minded about it. In fact, he only took roll call and asked the students to remember the names and faces of their fellow classmates.

It was a refreshing change.

After the formalities were done, it was time to settle the seating arrangements. Unfortunately, Mako-sensei had insisted on using the traditional method to decide the seating arrangements - by drawing lots.

_"Ah...! But the only one I know in this class is... I don't want to change seats!" _Mikoto internally wailed.

One by one, the students went up to draw their lots.

Although Mikoto usually had no qualms about drawing lots, Mako-sensei had made the students line up according to the order as stated on the attendence sheet.

This translated to the current situation: Akashi Seijuurou being the first person in line while Yanase Mikoto, was the last person in line.

* * *

_"If that wasn't an omen, then I don't know what constitutes as one."_

* * *

Mikoto had mixed feelings regarding the seat change. She could not decide between disappointment or joy. She supposed 'disappointment tinged with unexpected joy' would be apt.

She had not managed to get a seat next to Akashi but Mikoto had already anticipated that. She did, however, get a window seat that was two rows down from where the boy sat and... she had made her first friend in class!

Ami-chan, as dubbed by Mikoto, was the direct opposite of Mikoto, a "cool beauty". She was amazingly tall, standing at 5 ft and 6 in, easily towering over everybody else.

Ami had short, cropped blonde hair and matching sea-green eyes with distinctly European features. Ami's parents were from the States, but Ami herself was born in Japan. Therefore Ami was effectively bilingual, fluent in both the English and Japanese language.

* * *

_Spotting the only vacant seat left, Mikoto hurried over to it. As she sat down, Mikoto's eyes wandered over to her new seat mate._

_The blonde girl seemed to have noticed Mikoto's staring and she looked up from her book, her sharp green eyes scrutinising every detail of the native Japanese girl._

_Mikoto instinctively sat up straighter, her whole body went rigid as she tensed up like a cornered animal._

_A twinkling sound that reminded Mikoto of chimes escaped through the blonde's lips. An easy smile formed upon her lips as she held her slightly tanned right hand out._

_Mikoto took the girl's right hand with her pale left hand in a steady grip. The smile on the girl's lips broadened as Mikoto relaxed._

_"Nice to meet you, I'm Yanase Mikoto."_

_"Hajimemashita, watashi no namae wa Noriaki Ami desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu."_

_Blink blink._

_ Upon realising their folly, both girls broke out into boisterous laughter._

* * *

Teikou Middle School had once again proven that it was indeed one of the most prestigious middle schools in Japan.

The school had wasted no time on getting started, beginning to teach the syllabus on the very first day. By the time school had ended, Mikoto's head was swimming in a pool of algebraic equations.

The girl was jerked back to reality by a slightly tanned finger directing her attention towards a crimson blob rounding a corner. Gathering her things with one hand and grabbing her bag with the other, Mikoto spluttered a hasty 'thanks' to her blonde saviour before chasing after the redhead.

"SEI-KUN, WAIT UP!"

After catching up with Akashi, the girl panted heavily, placing both her hands on her knees as she tried and was currently failing, to catch her breath. The redhead merely instructed her to take long, deep breaths as he stood by her side patiently.

The pair eventually continued on, walking down the stairs and out into the courtyard.

As Mikoto strolled beside the silent redhead, idly gazing up at the clear blue sky, the grin that seemed forever etched on her face, suddenly widened.

"Which club has caught your interest, oh great mighty one?"

The redhead let a small grin slip onto his pale face, expertly masking the slight astonishment he felt.

* * *

_"She was always full of surprises."_

* * *

"Why do you suppose a club has caught my interest?"

The redhead asked curiously, red orbs landing upon the cheerful ravennette that stood beside him. Her ability to read him with terrifying accuracy baffled the boy.

After all, the boy was neither the most emotive nor predictable person around. In fact, the redhead would probably fall on the other end of the spectrum.

Mikoto's blue orbs fluttered shut in reply, the smile ever present on her face as she playfully replied, "Hmm... to be honest, I don't really know either. Let's just call it a gut feeling!"

Akashi's eyes narrowed at that seemingly offhanded comment, but he chose not to pursue the matter.

"Teikou is reputed to have an exceptionally strong basketball club with successive championship titles... am I right, Sei-kun?"

Mikoto wondered out loud, her azure gaze lost within the dancing cherry blossoms overhead.

* * *

_"This girl was... a puzzle."_

* * *

Akashi turned his penetrating stare towards the petite girl who stood next to him, replying in an even tone.

"...Yes. Have you decided on a club?"

Focusing her attention back to the boy beside her, Mikoto shook her head.

"Nope! I was thinking of cheering you on at the basketball tryouts! Ah, does Sei-kun mind?"

The redhead merely gave a noncommittal 'hmm' in response.

* * *

"There are so many people at the basketball tryouts... But I think Sei-kun will do fine! Sei-kun is amazing after all! Everybody here is so tall though.."

Akashi promptly tuned out Mikoto's incessant ramblings after the first sentence, in favour of sizing up the other contenders.

* * *

_"The only thing the he lacked was height... but he would overcome that. He always did."_

* * *

Somewhere along the line, Mikoto had disappeared.

Believing that the girl had only opted to observe the trial from the stands, Akashi paid no mind to the girl's absence as he continued to silently survey his competition.

While in actual fact, the petite girl had been roughly swept and pushed away by the crowd of large, bulkier boys.

Mikoto sighed, hating the fact that she was barely five feet.

She knew that it would have been pointless for her to try to forcibly push her way through the crowd as she would only be shoved aside like a rag doll.

Resigned, the girl sat by the side of the hall. Her clear blue eyes darted across the players in the hall, silently observing the other people who came for the tryouts.

She was completely unaware of a pair of grey eyes watching her every move.

* * *

A few people caught Mikoto's eye and she had dubbed them "irregulars". Even though she was an amateur at basketball, she could tell that they were the ones with hidden potential.

The first one was a purple-haired giant. Although his bright violet hair made him stand out, what was even more impressive was his massive size.

_"He has a huge advantage because of his tall stature but... he seems a little too carefree. And was that a wasabi-flavoured maiubo!?"__  
_

* * *

The second one was an oddity and Mikoto had even overlooked his green hair! Not only were the fingers on both his hands taped, he was even carrying a phone book in one hand!

_"An odd one... yet by taping his fingers, the coach would be able to see just how much he cared about his fingers, which would __earn him plus points. ______Now all that remains to be seen are his basketball skills..."_

* * *

The third one was a tanned male with dark blue hair. As Mikoto watched the tanned male who was currently attempting a drive across the basketball court, she could tell that he would go far.

_"His basketball skills were definitely good, though it seemed a little rough around the edges..."_

Yet, there was more to this tanned male... Mikoto could not quite put her finger on what was it about him that sparked her interest.

_"That boy seemed to... shine when he played. His eyes would light up with raw passion and his __basketball form had a rough sort of grace about it_... It was impossible to tear your eyes away from such a dazzling scene."

* * *

The fourth one... was a particular redhead. Mikoto knew for a fact that Akashi was going to make it into the first string. He was **Akashi** after all.

In fact, she would not have been surprised if Akashi was going to be made captain or vice-captain shortly after his induction into the basketball club.

* * *

The last "irregular" was somewhat of a mystery to Mikoto. The light-blue haired boy with matching sky blue irises seemed like a spectre, slipping from place to place unnoticed.

_"An irregular among irregulars. Though his basketball skills are rather questionable... His play style would no doubt be an interesting one... Unless he is-"_

* * *

A gruff voice brought Mikoto out of her vain musings.

"Hey girlie, did you come to cheer someone on?"

"Want to keep us company after the trials? Just you watch, I'm going to be the first freshmen to get into the first string!"

Mikoto's mouth twitched upwards, a smile threatening to form upon her lips.

* * *

_"The only thing missing was my knight in shining armour."_

* * *

Her twitch eventually won, the unreadable mask on her face melting away into an amiable smile.

"Yes I did come to cheer my friend on. Although I am most flattered, I would have to politely decline your offer of company."

One of the boys who had seemed unsatisfied with her answer lunged forward, meaning to grab her wrist. Mikoto easily side-stepped out of his reach. Just as she was about to vocalise her protest, another voice had already beat her to the punch.

"Excuse me, I think that she has already made her intentions clear, she does not wish to keep any of you company. Can you please refrain from bothering her?"

To her shock, Mikoto's saviour had actually come in the form of **that** "irregular".

The most amusing part was that the two delinquents had yet to notice that the blue-haired boy was standing right in front of them, and were frantically glancing right and left, their faces paling by the second.

Realising that this confrontation could potentially escalate into a fight, Mikoto used this opportunity to escape. She grabbed the pale boy's wrist and dashed to the other end of the hall.

* * *

Mikoto extended a hand towards the slightly breathless pale boy who was currently bent over, using his knees to support himself.

"Thanks for saving me over there! It could've gotten a little messy without your intervention. Ah, I'm Yanase Mikoto by the way, from class 1-A!"

The pale boy took her hand in a firm grip, causing the smile on her face to enlarge.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, from class 1-C."

A loud booming voice announcing the names of the students who made it into the third-string interrupted the both of them.

Quickly releasing the pale boy's hand, Mikoto gave him a light pat on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Kuro-kun, I'm sure you'll make it!"

After wishing him good luck, the girl promptly ran off in the direction of the stands.

A small smile formed on the grateful boy's lips as Kuroko whispered,

"Thank you, Yanase-san."

* * *

After the bespectacled middle-aged man had finished reading out the names of the students who had made the second string, he begun to announce the first few freshmen who had made it into the first string.

"Number eight, Aomine Daiki."

"Number eleven, Midorima Shintarou."

"Number twenty-three, Murasakibara Atsushi."

"Number twenty-nine, Akashi Seijuurou."

A wry smile appeared on Mikoto's lips yet as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, replaced by a huge grin.

She had expected that.

As she stood, about to exit the stands with the goal of finding and congratulating a particular redhead, Mikoto was blocked by a middle-aged man dressed in a suit.

The man had a serious expression on his face as he locked eyes with the petite raventte, steely grey pupils clashing with confused blue irises.

"Young miss, would you like to join the basketball club?"

* * *

_The age of miracles had begun._

* * *

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.

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TBC.

* * *

A/N:

WELL HAI GUYZ! Once again, I'm back to abuse the line breaks XDD

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS AND FAVOURITES AND FOLLOWS! :D

ANYWAYS, I'm SO SO sorry for my late update. (School has been a bitch!)

[My updates will be slow and sporadic... SORRY GUYZ.]

So... are the characters IC? (I keep worrying about that orz.. D:)

And yes there's a time skip... their past will explained through flashbacks! And about Akashi's speech, hmmm. I don't know how a speech by a first-year student representative works so if you wanna correct or recommend something better, feel free to do so! (T.T Actually please do!) OH AND I'm really not sure about what class Kuroko is supposed to be in, will someoneplease enlighten me? (Actually it'll be great if you could post the classes the GOM are supposed to be in! :)

And please feel free to PM me if you have any questions! ;DDDD

DUN DUN DUN.. SO HOW WAS THIS CHAPTER?

HINT: Reviews make authoress happy! :)

* * *

REVIEW REPLIES:

moonlight phonex101: Yayy thanks! And hohoho you will see more of that! (though Akashi-sama does not facepalm, he's too cool as a cucumber!)

offAaliyah-chi: Thanks! Hope you'll like this chapter! :D

Krystal: Thanks for the review and thanks even more for liking my fic ;) And.. is my writing very messy? I actually kinda really like the italic sentences... sorry but does it really bother your reading? (if not, can I keep them? PLEASE?)

Whimisical Omelettes: Thanks so much for your compliments... (I am unworthy!) anyway I hope this chapter is more detailed. (I know I really suck at them details!) Hope you enjoy this chapter anyway! :)

Senna Bluefire: YEAHH IKR. well that's just my impression of how Akashi's father would be like...


	5. Act I: Converge

EDIT: This is NOT a new chapter. It is a repost as I have decided to split chapter 3 into 2 different chapters. The new chapter is still a work in progress but will most likely be up within the week. (hopefully) I apologise for making all of you wait...

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own KnB.

* * *

_Your name and your shadow _

_are one and the same._

_The hue of transparent tears,_

_such an indecipherable blue._

* * *

"... Excuse me?"

Incredulity rang clear as day in the speaker's tone, the two words being spoken with great disbelief.

"Let me rephrase that."

The man pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation before continuing, speaking in a slow, careful manner.

"Would you like to become a manager of the basketball club?"

Like wrinkled paper, skin continually folded over one another, forming ugly creases upon the girl's smooth brow. Mikoto frowned.

The offer had indeed been tempting as she had _considered_ the possibility of becoming a manager for the basketball club. She was fairly interested after all.

Yet, things seemed too good to be true.

* * *

_"There was always a catch."_

* * *

The blue-eyed girl could not fathom why her, of all people was being _asked to_ join the basketball club.

There surely had to be many other candidates who were much more willing and capable for the position than her, right?

Mikoto briefly wondered if the coach's intention had been for a larger amount of club funds but she quickly waved away the absurd thought.

She was rather certain that a basketball club as elite as Teikou Middle School's lacked neither the funding nor the fame.

* * *

_They had been the defending champions for the past few years, and they would most definitely be the champions for the next few years to come._

* * *

Pursuing her lips in slight irritation, the ravenette had given up on racking her brains for the answer and instead, she chose the easy way out.

"Why me?"

Her sudden question had seemed to catch the unsuspecting man off-guard and he pondered for a moment, placing a hand on his chin and making slow, rubbing motions.

The awkward silence unnerved the black-haired girl, and she fidgeted uncomfortably, shifting her weight from foot to foot restlessly.

The man broke it by pointing his finger straight at the perplexed ravenette, loudly proclaiming a statement with a voice filled with great conviction.

"It's because you're cute!"

A pregnant pause hung in the air.

As Mikoto took in and processed the information at a snail's pace, her left eye had started to act up and was involuntarily twitching. The girl had wanted so badly to facepalm then and there.

Resisting her strong urge to facepalm, Mikoto repeated his unbelievable words in a questioning tone, a large sweatdrop forming upon her head.

"...Just because I'm cute...?"

A brief look of utter horror crossed the man's face before being swiftly replaced with an incensed look of indignance.

That innocent question had unknowingly, to a certain ravenette at least, set alight a burning passion within those grey eyes.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE **CUTE**!?"

Mikoto cringed at the man's random outburst, placing both her hands over her rather sensitive ears.

The man then proceeded to give a fervent speech, educating the ravenette on the various reasons of why a cute manager was essential to the basketball team.

"Don't you dare underestimate the power of a cute manager! A cute manager is **everything**, it is one of the most important aspects of a great basketball club! It is the deciding factor that sets apart _the good_ from _the great_! A cute manager calculates, rejuvenates and motivates. When the boys are exhausted from training, they will look to their cute manager for words of encouragement and inspiration, driving them to work harder, allowing them to push past their physical limits to fully utilise their true potential. A cute manager truly is the **heart** of the team!"

The girl was dumbstruck.

She was completely incapable of speech.

* * *

_"It was strangely insightful yet horribly ridiculous."_

* * *

Once she had managed to get her voice back, the girl had let a small, albeit drawn-out chuckle escape from her tangled vocal chords and out of her upturned lips.

Bobbing her head up and down with great mirth, Mikoto agreed.

* * *

As Shirogane Kozo's stern grey eyes traced the disappearing, petite profile of one Yanase Mikoto, he was struck with a sense of unease.

_"I do not mind becoming the basketball club's manager. __However..."_

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed her figure jumping upon the back of a red-haired boy. He remembered that boy - Akashi Seijuurou, he was one of the freshmen who had made it into the first-string.

_"____I wish to have a probation period. _I will observe the trainings for about three months, before deciding if I would officially join."

Shirogane decided that he liked the boy, the look in his eyes had said it all... But, he could not quite tell how he felt about the girl. She had been a weird one.

_"My last request is that I would..."_

The man sighed, concluding that how he felt about her was of no matter. After all, he only had to confirm the credibility of her eyes.

_"...only sit in training sessions that do not include members of the first-string."_

The girl in question had set up a most favourable environment for the test and it would have been foolish of him to pass up on such a golden opportunity.

He agreed.

The handshake they shared had sealed the deal.

* * *

Mikoto was positively sparkling, the large goofy beam on her face was most telling.

As Akashi silently observed the cheerful girl who was happily skipping beside him, he allowed one of his rare, soft smiles to tug at the edges of his mouth.

"You found something interesting."

The conclusive tone the boy took had made the question seem more like a statement.

Letting a coy smile take over her features, the girl hastened her pace, bouncing five steps forward as she teasingly intoned.

"Huh? What does Sei-kun mean? Mikoto didn't see anything at all~!"

The redhead let out a short chuckle, that reaction had more or less confirmed his initial suspicions.

_"Liar."_

* * *

Club activities had begun the very next day.

After school was over, the pair had silently made their way to their respective venues. Not once, had the silence between the redhead and the ravenette been disrupted, throughout the duration of their journey.

No words were exchanged for there had been no need to.

It was one of the many unspoken exchanges between the both of them.

* * *

_"He knew."_

* * *

Mikoto was currently being briefed by the third-string coach on the specifics of her managerial duties.

Honestly speaking, it was nowhere near what the head coach had made it out to be and though the girl had been fully aware from the start, she had still felt cheated.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yanase Mikoto from class 1-A. I am a temporary manager of sorts and will be observing your practice sessions. I'll be in your care." The girl bowed as she gave a short and formal introduction of herself to the third-string players.

After the various introductions of the managers-in-training, the coach had dispersed the group, barking a different set of orders to each female.

Each and every one of them scurried away to complete their individual tasks, but not before shooting withering looks of envy to a particular ebony-haired female.

The girl had no errands to run. She only had to sit in during practices and report back to the coach by the end of it.

Taking a seat further up in the stands that ensured her a bird's eye view of the gym, Mikoto began to carry out the sole purpose that kept her within the confines of the third gymnasium - observation.

* * *

Practice kickstarted with a few warmup rounds around the parameter of the basketball court followed by the routine stretches.

Most of the boys in the third-string either had average builds or were more on the smaller side. Mikoto filed that little tidbit away, mentally nothing that _he_ had a small size as well.

She noticed that the execution of certain movements of some third-stringers were rather jerky and dull. Their reactions were rather slow too...

_Could it have been...?_

The girl reasoned that their lacklustre performance should have been attributed to her silent presence that had perturbed them, their lack of game experience and most probably... _exhaustion_.

Before the coach had split the players into two teams for a mock game, the players had been doing physical conditioning.

A champion school's training regimen was definitely not easy, and practice for the third-string was no exception. It was beyond brutal.

Mikoto could sympathise with the players bent over the buckets or the ones passed out in the corner. Managers flitted about tending to the fallen, handing out buckets or placing wet cloths over their foreheads.

It would soon become a scene that she was used to.

* * *

_"...it was still there."_

* * *

Pursuing her lips, she flitted her blue eyes back to the court and back to the people who had "retired".

It was the same.

All of their eyes had harboured the same look.

_Why?_

The rigour of such tough training had neither broken nor extinguished their spirit, contrary to her expectations, it had the opposite effect - it had served to strengthen their resolve.

The look in their eyes had only grown stronger.

* * *

_"That look reflected in his eyes..."_

* * *

Her pale lips parted in awe, the words she had wanted to utter had seemed to shrivel up and die in her throat.

She knew.

The answer - _her answer, _had been painfully obvious from the start.

_"Yes."_

* * *

Knock Knock.

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal a rather weary obsidian-haired girl.

"Coach Shirogane."

"Ah, Mikoto-chan, no need for formalities, have a seat."

Mikoto wordlessly strode across the length of the office, stealing quick glances at the many glistening trophies that lined the glass cabinets from the corner of her eyes before sitting herself in the chair.

Staring straight at the ravenette with stern grey eyes, the man's lighthearted and aloof tone was much too forced to be sincere.

"What did you think of training?"

"It was... overwhelming."

A pause.

"I gained many new insights about basketball, the club's system, the players and about..."

The girl seemed to be lost in thought... Yet she suddenly snapped into focus, jumping to her next sentence - without ever completing that hanging sentence.

"It was a test. A test of the players' physical fitness, their mental willpower... More importantly, their passion for basketball and their resolve to succeed. Teikou's philosophy was to win and the _whole_ team had to have the mentality of a champion, including the third-string players. You were trying to weed out the useless and unmotivated ones by allowing them to experience the full intensity of trainings."

The more the girl spoke, the more her confidence grew. Holding the man's steady gaze, Mikoto pressed on.

"It was also a test for me as well... Am I right?"

Shirogane's eye curved upwards, a slow smile set upon his contented face.

"Yes, and you passed the test."

* * *

The talk she had with the head coach had taken close to half an hour.

Day had turned into dusk.

Briskly making her way to the third gymnasium, Mikoto prayed that it was still open. She had left her bag in there and she would not be very inclined to leave it overnight.

To her relief, the lights of the gym were still on... but she could not spot anyone inside. The constant sound of squeaking sneakers and the repetitive thuds of the basketball had seemed to echo throughout the empty gym.

The girl was officially spooked.

Ridding her over-imaginative brain of the many irrationally creative scenarios she had thought up of, she sprinted up the stands.

As soon as she had retrieved her bag, she let out a puff of gratitude, her slight smile resurfacing yet again.

The slight smile that had touched her lips had quickly given way to a broad grin as her blue eyes caught the tiniest flicker of a familiar shade of baby blue.

_"Could it be...?"_

Her blue eyes scrutinised the figure of a person currently practising a drive across the basketball court with much difficulty.

* * *

Mikoto's Mental Checklist:

_Short stature - Check._

_Pale skin - Check._

_Sky blue hair - Check._

_Immense lack of presence - __Check._

_Irregular - Double-check!_

Jackpot.

* * *

Manoeuvring herself with a feline grace, Mikoto stalked her ignorant prey. Preparing to go in for the kill, she lurked in his shadow, watching and waiting. The moment the ball had slipped out of her target's hands, she pounced.

"Boo."

The startled boy jumped, the fine hairs on his skin standing stock still in fright.

The semi-apologetic gleam in her mischievous blue eyes contradicted the cheeky grin splashed upon her lips.

"... Yanase-san, please refrain from scaring me."

The boy's semi-startled expression had soon wore off, morphing into his default, deadpan expression.

Giggling quietly to herself, Mikoto had indeed picked up on the slightly annoyed edge of the boy's words.

"I'm sorry, Kuro-kun, but it is somewhat your fault too! You see, my inner prankster is kinda petty and well... she had really wanted to return the favour from before so she scared you!"

The black stare she received from the boy had intimidated her... sort of.

Yanase Mikoto was not going to back down that easily though. The perfect chance was before her very eyes.

* * *

_"It was now or never."_

* * *

Clasping her hands together in prayer, the ravenette screwed both her eyes shut.

"Please listen to my request!"

Tentatively peeking open her eyes, she took in the boy's quirked brow, skeptical surprise and amusement written all over his calm face.

Lowering her small frame in a formal bow, which represented the degree of the girl's earnestness, Mikoto articulated her words clearly.

"Kuroko Tetsuya, please teach me about basketball!"

* * *

_"I wanted to stand on the same stage as you."_

* * *

Before the boy had a chance to answer, the girl interjected once more.

"I know that you may not be the most skilled or the most knowledgable player but you have the most important thing - passion. And how do I say this, I can tell you're something special besides... AH but I'll understand if you don't want to! I mean teaching someone you barely know-"

A quiet, albeit emotionless voice interrupted the girl's ranting.

"Is it really fine if it is me?"

A light smile grew on her face as she nodded.

"I want to know more about your basketball."

She wondered if that fleeting smile was a trick of the light...

Though she was most certain that the nod that came after had not been a figment of her imagination.

* * *

As he stood by the gate, with the last rays of the setting sun casting light upon his boyish features and a faraway look in his crimson eyes, he looked so much more... _unreachable.  
_

It reminded Mikoto of the stars she saw on that night.

_The young girl lay on her back, extending and stretching out both her hands, wholeheartedly believing that if she reached out just a little bit higher, she would catch those distant, falling wishes of happiness._

Yet in actual fact, she was merely grasping at thin air, watching helplessly as those dreams slipped through the cracks of small hands. Hands that could only reach, that had never held.

* * *

_"Where were you looking at?"_

* * *

Sharply whipping his head in her direction, crimson eyes broke her trance.

It was almost as though the boy had always caught her staring.

His expression was an unreadable mask but, not for long.

Squaring his body, the boy turned. Not fullly turning away from the girl but rather, a slight shift. Facing away from her, Akashi tilted his head back ever so slightly, silently beckoning for her to catch up.

_"Come."_

Falling into step with the redhead, Mikoto had braced herself for a thorough nagging but was instead greeted by a familiar silence. It was a silence shared by two people who were accustomed to prolonged periods without conversation - a comfortable silence.

Yet the wisp of a smile present on his face spoke volumes.

_"Smile."_

Wearing a matching grin, the girl inched the slightest bit closer to the boy as they continued to walk on, together.

* * *

_"If only time would stop."_

* * *

_._

_._

_._

_._

TBC.

* * *

A/N:

IM SORRY THIS FIC IS NOT DEAD PEOPLE.

It's just I kinda had lots of problems with this chapter. AKA Idk why but I hated this chapter like alotttt... And I rewrote it countless numbers of times. And I'm still very unsatisfied, so I will probably make further changes to it.

Please review this chapter so I know how you feel about it.

AND DO YOU SORT OF GET THE SUBTLE HINTS ON WHAT IS GOING ON IN MIKOTO'S HEAD?

Are you guys really lost? :o please comment and critique!

PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CAKE AND -INSERT KUROBASU BIAS- ON TOP! (with the exception of Akashi-sama K.)

LASTLY, A CHALLENGE.

LET'S REFRESH OUR MEMORY with the opening lines of the chapter:

Your name and your shadow

are one and the same.

The hue of transparent tears,

such an indecipherable blue.

QUESTION TIME: Who do you think these words refer to? Why? :)

* * *

REVIEW REPLIES: (... cos I'm kinda lazy to PM you AWESOME guys)

Krystal: I'm glad you enjoyed my writing style :) And I'm sorry please bear with the italic words within the linebreaks!

AngelHeartObsession: A big THANK YOU for your continued support + LOVELY reviews! haha I thought they were kind of majestic too (I'm sorry for bragging) PLEASE CONTINUE TO REVIEW LOTS! ;D

identityangel: SORRY FOR MISSING YOUR REVIEW. :( haha thanks for the comments and I think I understand what you meant about my writing not being very detailed because there are certain vague parts which I leave for the readers to infer from! (they will be explained in later chapters though) Please stay tuned to find out more and I hope that you aren't too put off...

Skyla15699: haha i don't think my writing is actually very refined, it's probably very amateurish (I have a super long road ahead man) ;v; but thanks for your compliment!

CallMeSASU: OMG THANK YOU FOR LIKING MIKOTO. I was super worried that I made Mikoto too much of a Mary-Sue... :(

Midnightxwolfx: OH YOUR KIND WORDS BLIND SO. TTvTT I keep feeling that the canon characters are OOC and Mikoto is too Mary-Sue. I am glad you found her likeable! Yes she is going to have a lot of flaws for... no character is prefect! The challenge will be for the relationship between Akashi and her to develop... orz. I am going to continue this fic and I hope to hear more from you as well! :)


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